St. Vincent strikes a pose for the cover of her upcoming self-titled album.

In Conversation: St. Vincent

February 10, 2014

Our Fall Collection wasn’t the only unveil last night, as St. Vincent rocked the runway with songs from her upcoming self-titled album. We were lucky enough to catch up with the woman behind the stage name (and that pale violet hair!) on her inspiration, her covetable style and a few honest words to live by. Check out the interview and don’t forget to download three tracks from her upcoming album now!

How did the collaboration come to be?

Well, when I heard about Amex Unstaged and that Diane would be interested in having me play at the show and I thought that sounded amazing…I love collaborating.

Diane is such an adored figure in the fashion world and beyond. She just seems to have a glow about her. She’s created the uniform for generations of women…strong women, women working, women at home, women at play and I just thought she seemed like a really lovely lady to collaborate with.

What can you tell us about your process and why you love to collaborate?

I just think it’s so fascinating to talk to another artist. We were walking around the racks and I was admiring the clothes and I was just asking Diane about her inspiration and her work ethic and her whole ethos…and to me it’s just really inspiring to hear. To notice a pattern that I really like and to have her give me the backstory that it’s Tibetan and it symbolizes everlasting love…all of these things that I wouldn’t know. I would admire the pattern and enjoy it but to have that level of reference and that insight into how her brain works is really nice.

What was the inspiration for your upcoming album?

I self-titled my new record because I was reading Miles Davis’ autobiography and he talks about how the hardest thing for a musician to do is to sound like yourself. And I think that’s true in any art form. You learn by imitation and by trial and error but the mark of a true artist is being recognizable as you and not sounding like anyone else…being inimitable. So that’s what this record really signaled for me…I think I sound like myself.

So as Diane unveils the collection, you’ll be unveiling these new songs. How does that feel for you?

It’s a funny thing. I’ve spent so much time with the music. So much time making the record and writing it…even before it’s released, I’ve been talking about it. But it’s going to come out and people are going to hear it and I almost forget that in the build up to it. The goal is that people will hear it. And it’s important not to lose sight of that.

How would you describe your personal style?

My everyday style really depends…if I am, for example, making a record or rehearsing, I tend to do what Albert Einstein did which is just wear the same thing every day because then you don’t have to think about it…you can use your precious mental energy for the creative side.

For show, I like to wear pieces that feel like they amplify the performance…An exaggerated proportion here or there but always very feminine and usually tailored, but really just anything that can amplify how I feel and amplify the performance and convey a sense of power, and strangeness but also beauty.

Do you have any mantras or words to live by?

I think it’s important to remember that people are always doing the best that they know how to do and that helps me to be a compassionate person. And my other real mantra is “Get your sh*t together.” I have that on my wall.